Andrew Sutherland, ACDL, said: “The team at Make has done an exceptional job in designing the highly desirable, contemporary buildings that form the core of Arena Central. The work that has gone into both 3 Arena Central and 1 Centenary Square, from which HSBC will operate its ring-fenced banking division, is outstanding and they will make a great addition to Birmingham’s burgeoning skyline.”
The development of 3 Arena Central will trigger the development of much of Arena Central’s public realm and landscaping. The building will open on to Bank Court – a new formal square which will be the centrepiece of the site, bounded by 1 Arena Central, 301 Broad Street, 1 Centenary Square and 3 Arena Central.
A double height colonnade along three sides of the building provides a direct link between Bank Court and a second more informal landscaped space, called The Terrace, which will step down the slope of the site towards The Mailbox and link to the Serpentine Path winding through the whole length of the site. Along the northern face the colonnade will reinforce a pedestrian route from Richard Seifert’s listed Alpha Tower through to the canal.
Arena Central is a £500 million scheme on a 9.2-acre site in the heart of Birmingham. Make has masterplanned the full site and designed three major buildings so far, including its gateway structure 1 Arena Central, a mixed use development on Centenary Square with office, retail and restaurant space, and 1 Centenary Square (formerly 2 Arena Central), Birmingham’s first building with LEED Gold accreditation, which, in 2018, is due to become the headquarters of HSBC’s new ringfenced retail banking division.
